Chapter 317: Third Time Speaking

Inside the Clock Tower, only his voice echoed, before slowly fading into stillness, leaving silence behind.

Silence, silence.

Priest Agamemnon no longer spoke, the smile on his face vanishing, replaced with solemnity.

George’s scattered gaze focused, staring seriously at Aureus.

Olivia was about to fall asleep.

Receiving no reply, Aureus once again spoke, “I am willing to dedicate the entire Northland. I am the King of the North, and the Northland belongs to me.”

Still silence, still no response.

For the third time, Aureus opened his mouth, saying, “Beneath Frozen Furnace City, there lies a relic left behind from the previous era. I have already obtained the key to unlock it. I am willing to dedicate this relic.”

Still silence, still no reply.

Aureus sighed softly and shut his mouth.

Priest Agamemnon said, “I once told Hode, do not use meaningless things as bargaining chips.”

Aureus answered, “This is merely an old man pleading for the Lord’s mercy.”

Priest Agamemnon replied, “The Lord exists in the past, the present, and the future. The Lord is merciful. Anyone who is worthy of mercy, the Lord shall bestow mercy upon. There is no need for mortals to plead before the Lord.”

Thus, no matter how much was spoken, it could not change the will of the Church.

So, after a moment of silence, Aureus turned his gaze back to Priest Agamemnon and said, “You are very confident about resisting the Lords of Annihilation.”

Priest Agamemnon turned to look at Aureus and said, “The Lord guides us upon the road toward the future.”

George’s eyes grew unfocused once again.

Olivia’s breathing became even, she had already fallen asleep.

Aureus said, “It seems that my coming here today was meaningless after all.”

Priest Agamemnon said, “You could visit the monastery. I believe Dean Oscar and those scholars would welcome you greatly.”

Aureus shook his head and said, “Forget it. I fear that if I went there, I would be unwilling to die.”

Priest Agamemnon gave no answer.

Aureus continued, “Since it is meaningless, then I shall return.”

Priest Agamemnon did not try to stop him. Instead, he stood and said, “Olivia will see you off.”

Aureus glanced at the peacefully sleeping Olivia, a faint smile on his face, and said, “Better to let the child rest. Childhood is the Lord’s gift to all children, is it not?”

As he spoke, his words seemed to carry a hidden meaning.

Priest Agamemnon’s expression did not change. He said, “You are the King of the North. Naturally, Lundex should extend you equal courtesies.”

Aureus paused, his gaze growing heavy.

At the back, George’s pupils suddenly contracted, then dilated. Without moving his body, his will struck harshly against Olivia.

Immediately, Olivia, who had been sound asleep, shuddered, slowly opened her eyes, and then circulated her magic, pulling out the earplugs in her ears. She then heard Priest Agamemnon’s words.

“…Olivia will escort you to Hailson.” Priest Agamemnon spoke, glancing at Olivia, who now sat upright.

Olivia nodded gravely.

…

From York City to Hailson, if one traveled leisurely by carriage, it would take an entire day. But when George, acting as driver, spurred the horses, each step of their hooves carried the carriage across several miles at once.

George was slightly astonished but did not speak.

Inside the carriage, Aureus and Olivia faced one another.

Aureus’s gaze carried probing thought and curiosity, while Olivia merely returned his look.

At last, Aureus condensed all his pondering into a single question. He asked, “Shall we fight?”

Olivia froze.

Aureus said, “The rules of the Northland may bear the name of the North, but in truth, they are but the most primal rules of this world—the strong conquer all, the strong possess all. If you defeat me, then you may possess all of the Northland.”

Whether she possessed the Northland or not meant little. But hearing the mention of a fight stirred something inside Olivia. She gave Aureus a careful look from head to toe, but ultimately shook her head and said, “You are too old, and you are only at the fifth tier. I fear that if I am not careful, I might kill you. A fight that requires me to restrain my strength holds no meaning.”

Aureus stared deeply at Olivia, then asked, “Are you underestimating me? Underestimating the power of the King of the North?”

“I am only speaking the truth.” Olivia shook her head. “You are already very strong. But you are still only at the fifth tier, merely the limit of human physique. Even if battle strength cannot be judged purely by tier, the gap between us is far too great.”

Aureus closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them. His ordinary brown pupils instantly turned white, faint cold aura spreading within the carriage. He said, “And what about now?”

Olivia showed a trace of interest and said, “Stronger than before, but still not enough.”

Aureus pressed a hand against his chest.

A distinct thump resounded, clear to hear.

His skin flushed red, veins bulged, and his frail body, like parched earth receiving water, began to revive.

Soon, though not as robust as in his prime, his body grew some muscle, the wrinkles in his skin smoothed, leaving him looking about forty to fifty years of age.

Much like Cooper, who had already passed his peak.

“Heh… ah…” From deep in his throat came a long, relieved exhale. Aureus looked at Olivia, his voice no longer hoarse and aged, but vigorous, brimming with the spirit of a frenzied warrior. His eyes burned with battle intent as he stared fixedly at Olivia and said, “And now?”

Olivia gave him a more serious look. At this moment, Aureus’s aura had already reached the level of a sixth-tier hero.

But she still said, “Not enough. Still far from enough.”

Like a hunting beast, Aureus grinned, then loosened his cloak. Faint blue lines of light appeared across his body, surging magic flaring uncontrollably. In an instant, the carriage shattered under the force, and Aureus soared into the air, looking down upon Olivia.

George, at the moment the carriage burst, had already flickered away to safety. The conversation inside had never been hidden from him.

Olivia’s eyes now showed interest. With a slight tremor of her body, her Concept Armament cloaked her. With a flick of her right hand, a longsword appeared in her grasp, magic swirling around her as she looked up at Aureus in the sky.

Aureus burst into wild laughter. In that moment, he was like the Northern Warriors who fought in reckless abandon. The Northland bloodline he had long suppressed surged within him like a flood breaking free.

Beside him, a suit of armor resembling that of a snow mastiff appeared, fastening itself onto his body—a full suit of plate armor he had long kept in his possession.

He spread his arms wide, then gripped tightly. In his left hand appeared a massive two-handed hammer, in his right a long-handled battleaxe—two Holy Relics he commanded.

With a roar to the heavens, he clashed the hammer and axe above his head. Thunder roared as net-like lightning surged skyward.

Rumble—! In an instant, the sky darkened beneath storm clouds, arcs of lightning flashing within.

“And now!” Aureus’s voice boomed like muffled thunder. From his eyes, nose, and mouth burst forth breath like lightning.

Olivia called out, “Now we’re getting closer.”

“Hahahahaha!” Aureus laughed maniacally and hurled the hammer at Olivia.

Its flight was not fast, clear enough for even an ordinary knight to see.

But it was unavoidable. The air was saturated with lightning, resonating with the storm above. The hammer crackled with electricity, humming with life, locked tightly onto Olivia.

Yet Olivia had no intention of dodging.

In an instant, torrents of blue magic exploded from her, colliding with Aureus’s divine-like power above. The pressure was so intense it seemed to crack the earth. Magic condensed upon her blade, and with a sharp swing, she released a blazing arc.

The arc collided with the lightning-clad hammer but was instantly shattered. The hammer pressed on, smashing toward Olivia.

Boom! The impact erupted like a mushroom cloud, waves of power bursting forth. Lightning flashed within the rising dust, slashing the ground apart like blades.

The force drove George further back.

Glancing farther away, he saw the golden light revealed now that the illusionary magic had dissipated.

This was the place where they had fought the Frost Giant.

George’s will surged outward, spanning several miles in an instant, taking in the golden battlefield. The people had already withdrawn.

Since his body had withstood the Frost Giant’s final strike, a blow enough to devastate half of Greenwood, George had learned to wield his will as Olivia did.

With no innocents harmed, George turned his gaze back to the battlefield.

This was a battle of heroes. Or rather, their powers now approached the very limits of heroism—perhaps nearing that of the demi-god Patriarch of old.

Even before the smoke cleared, Aureus, gripping the battleaxe in one hand, cleaved downward. Pure, transparent power slashed forth. If not for its sheer force distorting space, George would not have been able to see it at all.

Aureus’s figure in the sky followed close behind that strike, both hands gripping the axe as he dove, hacking down viciously.

A booming “Hong!” resounded, and a deep fissure split the ground, its edges smooth like glass.

A sharp “Zheng!” rang out—the sound of blades clashing. At that instant, a surging wave of air erupted, sweeping outward, scattering the smoke and dust.

In the crater left by the hammer’s strike, Olivia stood at the edge of the cleft carved by the axe. She held her longsword horizontally, one knee pressed against the ground, forcefully blocking the blow.

But her arm trembled, blood flowed down her forehead, and cracks like spiderwebs appeared upon her Concept Armament. It was repairing itself slowly, and arcs of lightning still danced across her body.

Clearly, the thrown Thunder Hammer’s effects had not yet faded.

“Urh! Ha!” Aureus roared explosively, then lashed out with a brutal kick. His Suit of Armor flared with glowing lines, and the smooth greaves of his legs sprouted dense, vicious spikes, punting Olivia away.

Her Concept Armament cracked once more beneath the blunt force.

Aureus stamped the ground hard. The spikes on his greaves retracted, and in the same instant, his body vanished, reappearing high above Olivia, who had been knocked airborne.

Both hands gripped his battleaxe. Raising it high, he swung down with savage force.

At that moment, Olivia’s eyes snapped wide open, and two streaks of faint red magic blasted toward Aureus. But he did not dodge. Clad in his Suit of Armor, he took the blows head-on.

Though able to withstand them, his body was inevitably knocked back in midair. His descending strike missed, unleashing instead a wave of invisible force like before, smashing Olivia down from the sky.

The residual force of the axe gouged further cracks into the ground. Blood gushed from Olivia’s waist; one deep fracture in her Concept Armament showed that this blow had nearly severed her body in half.

Her face twisted in pain, but she struggled to steady herself.

Before she could, Aureus stabilized his flight above, extending a hand toward her.

Her ruby eyes shrank violently as she swung her sword, trying desperately to block the hammer plummeting from above.

But too late.

The hammer slammed into her lower back, the crack of breaking bones echoing sharp and clear.

The weapon did not stop. It carried Olivia’s body straight toward Aureus.

With his left hand clutching the axe, Aureus stretched out his right and seized Olivia’s head in his grasp.

The hammer hovered at his back, while Aureus—his eyes nearly blank—gazed upon Olivia’s pained face. His eyes held no mercy, only the same brutal violence that had once belonged to the Frost Giant.

George’s hand trembled upon his sword. In front of Aureus, Olivia was like a ragdoll. He strained against the urge to intervene.

But Olivia had not sought his aid, and even the Golden Lion had not appeared.

He could only endure.

In the sky, Aureus raised Olivia high.

Boom—! A bolt of lightning split the heavens, wrapping them both within its blinding light. Then, crashing downward, it struck the earth with a thunderous roar as Aureus slammed Olivia into the ground, dragging her across, gouging a scar into the earth.

After several miles, Aureus hurled her into the sky.

Releasing his axe, he grasped at the air, and a bow nearly the height of a man appeared in his hand.

This was his third Holy Relic.

With his will, the long-handled hammer floated to him. He caught it between two fingers, nocked it upon the bowstring.

Feet planted upon the earth, he drew the bow. The hammer hummed with thunder, its shape warping into a massive arrow wreathed in lightning, arcs crackling with biu-biu sounds.

Electricity coursed across the longbow, wrapping it entirely. Aureus pulled the string tighter, the bow groaning like it would snap beneath the current. Power surged down his body into the ground, splitting the earth beneath his feet.

Finally, his fingers released. The thunderbolt arrow launched skyward, and the backlash left a deep crater beneath him.

In the air, Olivia forced her eyes open through agony, golden magic gathering on her sword. She released a blazing golden stream.

Her gaze was half-mad. The strike’s target was not the arrow—but Aureus himself.

As she foresaw, the arrow tore straight through the golden stream, pierced her Concept Armament, and impaled her body. In an instant, the massive lightning force exploded within her, annihilating flesh, viscera, and bone. The hidden will in the lightning surged into her mind.

Only Olivia heard the deafening blast as her consciousness reeled. Her ruby eyes turned hollow, her senses ringing with phantom lion roars and droplets falling into a lake.

Her body fell from the sky like a ragdoll.

On the ground, Aureus stood unmoving, taking Olivia’s golden strike full on.

When the light faded, the crater around him widened, but he still stood firm. His helm and armor were shattered, exposing his scarred, sinewy torso, etched with glowing blue lines. His pale hair whipped in the storm.

Aureus gazed silently at Olivia’s falling body, the hammer, the bow, the axe, and the greaves of his Suit of Armor fading to transparency, vanishing as if returned to another space.

The clouds dispersed, the magic lines across his body dimming, his eyes returning to brown.

At last, George rushed forward and caught Olivia as she fell.

Though dust covered her head and face was twisted in pain, her consciousness returned. Gritting her teeth, trembling, she endured.

George held her gently, heart aching, though he could feel her body already healing rapidly.

Suddenly, Aureus approached. George spun, wary.

But Aureus ignored him. Bare-chested, he said, “It seems this time, I won.”

Olivia opened her mouth, only to choke on blood. Coughs wracked her body.

Aureus smiled, like a kindly elder to the young. “But you are still young. You lack battle experience. Perhaps by this time next year, you will be able to defeat me.”

“Here we part. I shall await the arrival of Greenwood’s King in the Northland.”

With those words, his figure vanished.

At last, Olivia’s coughing ceased. She snapped bitterly, “Who does that old thing think he’s fooling! By the time we return, he’ll already be waiting for death!”

George said, “Why worry about that now? Here, though little remains, the Cup of Life has stored some Water of Life.” He raised it to her lips.

Olivia turned her head away. “No. That stuff tastes awful. And I don’t need it.”

She struggled upright. Her Concept Armament faded, revealing her torn clothing. Her waist had been sliced away, yet her fair skin was smooth, only dotted with blood.

…

Frozen Furnace Fortress, beneath the castle where the Frost Giant had once been bound.

Aureus appeared.

Now his body was skeletal, his eyes sunken deep, as if his eyeballs might fall out with a slight shake.

Shaking, he turned and lowered himself upon the stone throne, nearly fused with the ground.

Faint magic crept up the stone, and when it touched Aureus’s bare body, some of his pain eased. His eyes closed, and he sank into slow sleep.

…

Frozen Furnace Fortress lay in the northwest of the Northland. But now, Hode led the Comrades Group eastward.

After killing a baron and gathering so many elite warriors, Hode never believed the nobles would allow him to remain peacefully within their towns.

So, he took the Comrades east.

To the east lay the influence of the Lord of Dominion. Here stretched a zone emptied of people.

As Cooper and Marl had said, much of the eastern Northland’s population was driven into Hoover Territory under the Lord of Dominion’s control.

So when Hode’s group entered a baron’s land, they nearly scared the man into abandoning it altogether.

The baron had only two Northern Warriors and just over a hundred soldiers. At first glance, they seemed equal in number to Hode’s force, and he could also summon his peasants to arms.

But the disparity in arms and discipline made clear he could not match them.

As for summoning peasants?

Impossible. The baron knew well—gentry always stalled for time. If he could hold, they would obey his call.

But if he fell, they would gladly switch allegiance to stronger masters.

For the first time, this northern baron bitterly envied Greenwood’s knightly system.

At least there, knights always maintained retinues. They answered their lord’s summons at once and could lead their men to war directly.

Even the weakest barons of Greenwood kept more than two hundred soldiers by default.

But in the North, a baron commanded barely a hundred.

Yes, Northland’s population was small—but at that moment, even this baron had to admit their system itself was flawed.

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